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Friday, August 11, 2017

Measuring Climate Change with Technology Innovations

The ability to measure humankind’s impact on
our planet is an essential step towards developing solutions to climate change
issues. So, how is this being done today? Climate scientists are extremely
creative in their methods for determining climate change patterns. They measure
a variety of environmental data using various “climate analogs” that show
effects of climate change all around world.

For example, snow can trap air when it falls,
which can be concealed within ice. Climate scientists have drilled 3200 meters into south pole ice to collect air
bubbles trapped from up to 800,000 years ago. Testing these bubbles and
comparing their levels of CO2 to the levels in the atmosphere today gives a
clear indication of the enhanced warming and carbon we have contributed during
the modern Industrial Era.

New means of calculating environmental impacts
are constantly being explored, with technology innovations leading the way.
Here are some examples of how it’s being done.

On the
Global Level:

Satellites hovering over the Earth have served
many purposes since their development, including surveillance endeavors, planet
mapping, and weather forecasts. Most recently, satellites have become an
essential tool for measuring climate change.

Satellites that can measure climate patterns
are operated by both companies and government agencies from around the world in
order to collect the best climate data possible. Carbon Briefhas put together an interactive
map of all 162 climate-related satellites orbiting our planet. Climate factors
including the land, our oceans, the atmosphere, ice, the sun, gravity, and a
combination of these factors are all measurable via satellite technology.

Source: Carbon Brief.org

Another emerging
innovation for measuring environmental impacts are climate drones.Researchers are beginning to use drones to measure the surface
reflectivity of various landscapes, helping to understand how much energy the
planet surface is both absorbing and retaining. When a surface reflects solar
energy instead of absorbing it as heat it results in climate cooling, which can
be extremely beneficial around the world as global temperatures are on the
rise. These climate drones can gather vast information much easier than other
data collection methods and with greater accuracy. They can also travel well to
remote locations and heights that are less accessible to humans on foot.

On the Personal Level:

It
may be difficult or seem burdensome to measure how you impact the planet on a
daily basis. Luckily, there are a number of fun and cost-friendly resources
available to help people more easily understand their own impact on the
climate, especially in the form of using phone apps.

The Carbon Counter Application was developed to make easy
calculations to aid individual purchasing decisions. The Carbon Counter app
calculates the carbon emissions that different car makes and models have for
when you are looking to purchase a new vehicle. So the next time you are in the
market for a new car, make sure you check out the carbon counter app to
properly determine how environmentally friendly your new ride could be.

Oroeco is another app that creates a game of
fun competition as it relates to your carbon footprint. On the app, you create
a profile for yourself based on where and how you live. Oroeco will then
provide you a wide variety of suggestions to help reduce your daily carbon
footprint. The best part is that you can both compete with yourself and with
other users in your area on the app to reduce your carbon footprint.

Measuring both global climate change and
personal environmental impacts are becoming increasingly easier as the age of
data analysis and technological evolution is in full swing. Who knows what
ground-breaking innovation will be next?

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